~4~Remember The Sabbath

In keeping with the fourth commandment we are posting this on Friday afternoon (Jerusalem Time) just before the Sabbath (Shabbat) begins. Anyone who has not been to the Holy Land may not remember that our calendar is slightly different from the rest of the world.

The week in Israel starts Sunday and ends Thursday. Friday morning the stores are open for half the day to allow people to do their last minute preparations for Shabbat. In Jerusalem a siren is sounded to announce sundown and the beginning of the Sabbath.

Basically, everything in the country closes down. Until recent years, even the roads were free of vehicles. Sadly, except for religious areas, the holiness of the Sabbath is all but forgotten.

The Sabbath is from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday~a mere 24 hours, some of which are spent sleeping~and yet, there are many who can't (or won't) observe this one day of rest. One day to be with family and friends, stroll the quiet streets free of traffic and simply "be".  Sadly, these people have no idea of what they are giving up!

You have been set apart as holy to the your God, and he has chosen you

from all the nations of the earth to be his own special treasure...Deuteronomy 14:2 (NLT)

Setting aside a day of rest each week was a revolutionary concept when it was first introduced as the Fourth Commandment. But this Commandment does more: it extends that day of rest to slaves and animals and thus set in motion the slow process of ending slavery and the compassionate treatment of animals. The power of the Fourth Commandment to change your life is no less real today than it was for our ancient ancestors. Just ask the spouse of a workaholic how she would feel if her husband took off a day each week to spend with family and friends...Dennis Prager

This weekend, as you enter into your Sabbath~whether it is Saturday or Sunday~think about the real meaning of this fourth commandment and give yourself 24 hours of total rest from the world!

You can also view this Ten Commandments series at Prager University

~4~Remember The Sabbath...

Links to Series:

The Ten Commandments~Introduction
~1~ Am the Lord Your God

~2~ No Other Gods

~3~ Do Not Misuse God's Name